


Flashbacks

by marriedtothedancer



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Brendan and May, F/M, Hoennshipping, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 05:24:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11662482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marriedtothedancer/pseuds/marriedtothedancer
Summary: Marriage was not easy; Brendan and May are struggling as a married couple dealing with the challenges of life that couldn’t be solved just by commanding their Pokémon to fight, and flashbacks arise when the two reminisce about their relationship, and their own childhoods dealing with fathers who put work above all, and mothers who was forced to be content for the sake of their family.





	Flashbacks

“We need to make sure that we try to spend less time at our workplaces, and focus more of our time on Landon. He needs to grow up with two parents in this house.” May spoke firmly as she laid in the bed with her husband. Brendan turned on his side to face her.

“But if both of us cut our hours working, we won’t be able to continue how we’ve been living, and I want to make sure that Landon doesn’t have to worry about money. Every day, there are kids that are itching to start their journey, and I have to be there to give them the Pokémon that will quite frankly change their lives, and you know that. You know that we wouldn’t have met without Pokémon.” At this, May sat upright in the bed turning with a look of annoyance.

“You think I don’t know that? If your dad hadn’t been attacked by that Poochyena so many years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to kickstart the journey that would change my life, and still does. Don’t assume that I’m trying to somehow ensure that kids don’t have the same experience that I’ve had; I’m the Champion, after all, Mr. Brendan Birch.”

“Hey, I don’t wanna start a fight; I didn’t mean it that way, I just want to tell you that both of us have careers that have directly allowed our son and us to live comfortably, and trying to change that may not have the effect that you’re looking for.” May sighed; of course, Brendan was right. Brendan knew she didn’t mean any of what she said; it was just the stress of raising a six-year-old in a Hoenn where she reigned as the current Champion and he was one of the leading Pokémon professors after his father had retired.

It was times like these where Brendan looked at May, and could only think of the years that they had spent together leading up to their marriage; years had flown by seemingly in a heartbeat, and Brendan sometimes only thought of how far the two had come.

Brendan and May had been rivals ever since the fateful day where May saved Brendan’s father from a wild Poochyena during one of his field work sessions; May’s first battle was with Brendan, and throughout May’s journey in taking on the Hoenn League challenge, Brendan was always there as a rival and a friend to battle and give advice too. In the process, May ended up casually saving the world from the rampage of two legendary Pokémon, saved the world again from a deadly meteor that turned out to be another legendary Pokémon, and became the Champion of the whole region. But, despite all of her accomplishments, Brendan saw her for what she really was; hardworking, diligent, intelligent, and, eventually, so indescribably beautiful.

Fortunately, both parties’ feelings culminated the night of the Mossdeep Star Show, where a display of nature’s beauty through forces unimaginable and the shared experience of having seen the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon together led to the first glances being stolen by each of them at the end of the show. To say the least, both shared their first kiss as an official couple, and have been inseparable ever since, despite the hurdles of May’s duties as the new Champion, and Brendan’s passion in continuing his father’s work. Both remembered the toughest years of their relationship, as Brendan had gotten a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a researcher to study abroad.

* * *

 

_Brendan was waiting diligently in his house; the door was shut, and no one was allowed._

_Except for May._

_The brunette sat on his bed as she watched her boyfriend sit in front of his PC. Today was the day where the results for admission to the highly prestigious Alolan Regional Variant & Habitat 7 Year Professorship program at the University of Hau’oli would be released. The school boasted one of the lowest acceptance rates in the world at a base of 5.3%, and only a select 10 were admitted to both the school and the rigorous program._

_The program had been Brendan’s dream ever since he was a young researcher working under his father; the university itself had a boundless number of resources available for research, and the program had essentially guaranteed certification as a Pokémon professor globally. He worked tirelessly throughout his education to make sure he remained at the top of his class (not that his father would let him slack off since it reflected his own reputation), and he constantly kept himself busy with fieldwork that he sought out himself. He had looked over his essays what felt like hundreds of times, and he had received recommendation letters from not only reputable people in the world, but his friends in the from of Steven Stone, Professor Cozmo, and even Lisia from his old dabbling in Pokémon Contests. Despite the stress leading up to submitting the application, nothing compared to the wait the day that decisions would be released._

_“Your dad is one of the top researchers of the world, and you’ve done so much work; you should be alright, and even if it doesn’t work, that doesn’t change how much you’ve done.” May tried to reassure him, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. When Brendan got stressed, it was a waiting game; nothing could be said to make it easy._

_“It doesn’t matter about my dad; Professor Oak’s grandson didn’t even get into the program, and the kid was the grandson of the most forefront professor in the world. I don’t even know why I bothered applying, because there’s no way I can compete for one of ten spots in the whole world out of thousands of people who applied!” Brendan huffed out._

_“You’re forgetting that Professor Oak’s grandson found his path as a result of getting rejected and realizing his passion for battling; he became a Gym Leader, and still is one of the top Trainers in the world despite his rejection. You’re going to be fine.”_

_“May, it’s just that this program is the ultimate lovechild of the environment I want to study in, as well as the field I want to specialize in. My dad’s research has been entirely based on the habitats and distributions of Pokémon, and the program takes place in Alola, where regional variants are found; it’s the perfect blend of my dreams, but it’s locked beyond what seems like an insurmountable wall.” Brendan looked defeated as he awaited the email that would spell his fate. May came up behind her boyfriend, and gave him a hug from behind without saying anything. Brendan grabbed her arms, and let out a deep breath as he tried to relax._

_“Alright, I’ll try to be calme-“ His words were cut off by a loud “Gyaoo!” resounding from his PC. It was the Articuno email alert that was set for one specific address; the University of Hau’oli._

_Brendan and May looked at each other before Brendan proceeded to click his way to his inbox, where the email sat at the top. Its subject read “An Update on Your Application”. He opened the link, and logged onto the university’s applicant portal, where another link awaited him that only read “Decision Letter”, which was proceeded by a dialogue between one panicking teenager and one calm one._

_“I can’t do this.”_

_“You’ve been waiting for this your whole life.”_

_“Why can’t I get over this?”_

_“It’s been your dream.”_

_“I can’t do this.”_

_“Waiting won’t change anything.”_

_“Will it be alright?”_

_“I’ll be here.”_

_“Okay.”_

_“Just open it.”_

_“I love you.”_

_“I love you, too.”_

_Brendan closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He released, and May lowered her head to get a view of the PC’s monitor. Brendan clicked the Decision Letter link, and, as soon as the page loaded, he began to read._

_“Dear Mr. Birch, I am delight-oh my Arceus!”_

_Needless to say, Brendan’s screams could be heard throughout the house, but were quickly muffled by May giving him the biggest bearhug in their entire relationship._

_“Brendan Birch, you just keep setting the bar higher and higher!” May cried out as she felt Brendan’s tears of relief soak her shoulder. However, she couldn’t help but get weepy too, and felt her own tears stream down her face. Suddenly, Brendan looked up at her, releasing the hug._

_“Will we be okay?”_

_The question hung out in the air of Brendan’s room. May stood there, silent in an instant after a wondrous burst of emotion._

_Seven years was a long time; by the time Brendan would come back to Hoenn, he and May would both be 25, and during those seven years, they would be in completely different worlds with almost an opposite schedule. May would undoubtedly be busy in defending her title as Champion against the thousands of challengers that would face her, and Brendan would almost constantly have his head in the books to make sure he didn’t slip up in the program. Was their love for each other strong enough to continue through all the seven years? Would their yearning for touch and physical connection be satisfied with the tiny moments, like the occasional visits and vacations?_

_May felt like years had passed in just a few moments, but ultimately, she made a decision._

_“We’re going to be okay.”_

* * *

 

Those seven years were not without hardship; the time to chat with each other over their PokéNavs was at a very specific time because of the time zone difference, and this cost both considerable amount of sleep. There were large periods where they wouldn’t talk at all, simply because they were too busy. Both fought with each other, whether it was how the other didn’t seem to make an effort to communicate, the stress of the two’s lives releasing in their conversations, or even just the simple craving of a physical touch or embrace of the other. However, all of that didn’t matter for those special moments where the planets would align when Brendan would come home, and May was allowed to take a vacation, and the two would be inseparable once again.

When Brendan finally returned to Hoenn after seven years of hard work to achieve his certification, May was there as he got off the plane at Mauville Airport. She saw him, and it was then that she realized the change in Brendan that she hadn’t noticed before in their occasional time together. He looked more confident, rejuvenated, and had a certain fire in his eyes despite the clear increase in maturity.

What May didn’t realize was that Brendan saw a change within her as well. Brendan saw a completely new woman in front of him; May now had far more patience and was more “seasoned” for lack of a better term. She had also matured, and the two were captivated in a whole new way.

That was when Brendan asked her to go back to Route 103 just for a “trip down memory lane”.

* * *

_“I remember when we had Taiyo and Kaizer first battle here when they were just a Torchic and a Mudkip.” Brendan said with a smile. May grinned._

_The full moon was out surrounded by a bed of stars. The night was teeming with life as the small Wurmple and Zigzagoon shuffled their way around the tall grass._

_“That was the first time I beat you, and definitely not the last time.” May giggled, knowing that she had to get that jab in. Brendan stuck out his tongue at her as if he was 13 again._

_“You asked me to battle you again after I first became Champion of Hoenn.”_

_“I was, and am still amazed by how in touch you were with your Pokémon, and that was the moment I first started realizing how you truly were my best friend.” Brendan spoke, and it was a rare moment where May saw Brendan getting solemn. He turned to her and took her hands into his._

_“You’ve been at my side for a countless number of years. We’ve had so many adventures, and so many memories that I cherish every single day. You not only have saved the world more than once, but you manage to light up mine in a new way every single day. You’ve been the absolute best girlfriend and best friend a guy could ask for.” Brendan spoke from the heart, as he let go of her hands, and stepped back. He got down on one knee, and May automatically brought her hands to cover her gaping mouth. Brendan pulled out a ring box from his pocket._

_“After over 12 years of knowing each other, and after 7 years of long-distance, I want to make sure I never let you go, because you’re one of the most special people I know. So, May Laurel, will you please give me the honor of being your husband, and marry me?”_

_And, as they say, the rest is history._

* * *

“Were there any tough Trainers today?” Brendan pulled up the covers as he continued to face May in bed.

“A girl from Lilycove was the only notable one. Her team had really good synergy, but her downfall was her reliance on Sunny Day. She didn’t realize that weather is a double-edged sword. It’s like, please tell me that, after beating all eight Gym Leaders, _and_ all of the Elite Four, you know that Blaziken is a Fire-type! After she realized her casual mistake, it was too late, and it was a clean 3-0 sweep. How’s research on the Omicron Project?”

“The Omicron Project is almost ready; the possibility of predicting evolutionary regional variants for Hoenn’s native species, and a general time frame for their arrival is almost here, but it’s a matter of making sure my team and I double and triple check every single detail. What was Landon up to when I wasn’t home?”

“He went to Wally’s to play with Emilia and Alec. Lisia picked up Landon when she was dropping off Alec; Arceus knows that all of us have got the busiest schedules where our kids meet up more than their parents.” May let out a sigh as she sunk into her bed. Brendan got closer to her and turned to her.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’ve known them for almost ten years, and they say that friendships that last over seven years last for a lifetime. We’ll always be frien-“ Brendan was cut off by May hitting him with a pillow. His wife was grinning.

“That was getting too cheesy, and you knew it.” Brendan simply laughed before turning off the lights; the two drifted off to the warm embrace of sleep.

 

 


End file.
